The epidemiology of burn injuries in an Australian setting, 2000-2006

Abstract

Objectives: To describe presentation characteristics of burn leading to death or hospital treatment (i.e. inpatient admissions and emergency department [ED] presentations) across the state of Victoria, Australia, for the years 2000-2006 inclusive. Methods: Data were provided by the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit (VISU) from three different datasets pertaining to burn deaths, hospital inpatient admissions and non-admitted ED presentations. Population estimates were derived from census data provided by Australian Bureau of Statistics. Results: During the 7-year period, 178 people died and 36,430 were treated for non-fatal burn injury, comprising 7543 hospital admissions and 28,887 non-admi..